


down the decades every year

by ascience



Category: Football RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Fluff, German National Team, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 16:15:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4186473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ascience/pseuds/ascience
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He knows this place. Safely filed all memories of it away. Everything that reminded him of Lukas.</p><p>(Based on <a href="https://twitter.com/BSchweinsteiger/status/609318596813160448">this photo</a>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	down the decades every year

**Author's Note:**

  * For [winterveined](https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterveined/gifts).



Lukas plops down on the ground and sighs happily as he turns his face towards the sun. The corners of his mouth are slightly turned upwards, and the lids of his closed eyes flutter. To Basti he looks like he’s glowing.

Bastian digs his toes into the sand and looks out onto the sea. The water is as blue as the sky, and Bastian breathes in and out with the rush of the waves.

He knows this place. Safely filed all memories of it away. Everything that reminded him of Lukas. It’s like opening an old juvenile diary entry.

Some more metres down the beach the others are having a game of volleyball and splashing around in the water. It’s strange not seeing Miro, Philipp and Per with them, but Bastian realises that Lukas and him aren’t exactly playing with them anymore right now either.

Over there, Christoph causes a sand spout as he tries to hit the ball. The following laughter and yells carry across the beach and Bastian smiles to himself.

Bastian can feel a calmness inside of him that’s hard to explain to any stranger who’d just see him standing there, motionless, in his football shorts.

His eyes wander back to the horizon again, unfocused into the distance.

“Lukas?” Bastian asks and licks his lips.

“Hm?” Lukas only mumbles lazily in response.

Bastian reconsiders his question. He feels unsure about it now, because he doesn’t know what answer to expect.

“Never mind.“ he just says, but of course it comes off as doubtful.

Lukas notices, he always has and always will, and he blinks up at Bastian from below his cap with a soft look in his eyes that still makes Bastian’s stomach flip.

“Go ahead and ask,” he encourages Bastian. “I know it’ll just annoy you the whole day if you don’t.”

Bastian looks at Lukas, then at the waves again.

“Do you remember?” Bastian asks slowly and already feels stupid that he ever said something. “Eleven years ago, this beach, this place –“

Bastian trails off when he can feel himself blushing.

Lukas laughs affectionately and tugs at Basti’s shorts.

“Of course, I do,” Lukas answers. “You thought I wouldn’t?”

Bastian draws his fingers through his hair and across his face so Lukas doesn’t see his embarrassment.

“I don’t know. I mean it’s, uh, a silly thing to care about, I guess. I mean, I care, but. It’s really fucking strange. Eleven years ago, man. I figured you might not remember.”

“As if I’d forget! You’re an idiot!” Lukas snorts and tugs at Bastian’s hand harder now, trying to pull him down to sit on the beach as well. “And don’t you dare say ‘ _but I’m_ your _idiot’_ now. Because then I might just forget everything again. Sit down, you’re standing in the sun.”

Partly Lukas pulls him down, partly he falls.

Bastian lets a handful of sand run through his fingers and leans against Lukas’ shoulder. The touch of skin on skin is one that feels like home.

There’s a moment of silence between them, just the far-away sound of waves washing over the beach.

“We’re old.” Bastian says and looks down at Lukas’ hand next to his.

Lukas turns his face towards Bastian, but he doesn’t look surprised or puzzled.

“Is this some sort of midlife crisis?” Lukas enquires, the shadow of a cheeky grin on his face. “I thought you had yours when you bleached your hair and painted your nails.”

Bastian groans and rolls his eyes. “That was when I was twenty! What, do you think I’m going to die with forty?”

Lukas lightly smacks Bastian’s shoulder. “Whatever. I was never good at math!”

“Me neither. Good thing we’re footballers.”

Bastian smiles and draws a heart in the sand, before thinking that it’s too cheesy and smudging it again.

Lukas leans over to kiss the corner of Bastian’s mouth, then he redraws the heart and crookedly write a _B_ and _L_ inside.

Life is really kind sometimes, Bastian thinks.

“Lukas?”

“Hm,” Lukas mumbles. His eyes are half-closed again and he has turned his face to bathe in the sun.

“Lukas, we’re old.”

“You just said that. If I'm old, then what are you, ancient?”

Bastian bites his lip, then he grins.

“Positively antique!” he says and earns a snort from Lukas.

“You’re a dumbass.”

“Well. Too late to leave me now,” Bastian says and grabs Lukas’ hand to interlock their fingers. Their silver wedding rings clink together in a tiny sound that only the two of them can hear.

Lukas chuckles and wiggles his fingers to make the rings clink again. It entertains him for about ten seconds, then he slides his hand from Bastian’s palm up his arm and around Bastian’s shoulders.

This is old, except for the part where it feels new again, every single minute, since a day on this same beach years ago.

Basti draws his fingers across the four black stars on Lukas’ collar bones. He mouths the numbers as he taps the corners of each star once – until Lukas laughs and moves his head closer to Bastian’s.

Just before Bastian’s forehead would have hit the brim of Lukas’ cap, Lukas takes it off and puts it somewhere on the sand without ever looking anywhere but Bastian’s eyes.

“Hey,” Lukas says and Bastian can feels his breath on his face, “You come here often?”

Bastian laughs and when he kisses Lukas, he can feel him smile.

They’ve got their happiness; now all they have to do is grow old.

Anyone could do that.

**Author's Note:**

> I missed Marina's birthday by miles and this is not the thing I had actually planned to write for it, but happy accidents, right? Love you lots.
> 
> The title is from [this very appropriately named song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKsjty-yT6U) by Paul Simon.
> 
> Find me on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/kissthecrest).


End file.
